Don't Go
by Zane's Girl- Jo
Summary: Allison told Jo not to leave @ end of Friendly Fire. But what if she decided to leave anyway? Leaving everything/everyone behind for a new life, she doesn't think anyone'd care that she vanishes. But what she doesn't realize, is that those in town- especially a select few- are struggling w/her disappearance, & will do anything to bring her home. Reworked/reuploaded/now a crossover.
1. Chapter 1

******Don't Go**

**R****ifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Summary: Allison told Jo not to leave Eureka at the end of _Friendly Fire_. But what if she decided to leave anyway? Leaving everything and everyone behind for a new life, she doesn't think anyone would care that she vanishes. But what she doesn't realize, is that those in town- especially a select few- are struggling with her disappearance, and will do anything to bring her home. Reworked, reuploaded, and now a crossover.**

_"No, it's just that you... don't _want_ me there."_

She struggled to keep the tears at bay as she climbed into her car.

_"You know, five's a crowd."_

Dawn had barely broken over the peak of Mount Eureka as she backed out of the driveway and put the car in drive. She stopped in the middle of the street, staring at the bunker for several minutes as tears began to flood her vision. After a moment, she turned her attention from the bunker and the people sleeping peacefully inside, and headed into town.

The roads were silent, the buildings locked up, not a soul was on the street as she passed down main street. She didn't glance at Cafe Diem, didn't look in the direction of the sheriff's office, didn't stop and consider that she was doing the wrong thing as she passed by GD. If anything, she hit the gas pedal as she made her way out of town; the _Leaving Eureka _sign was nothing but a blur as she sped by it.

By the time she reached the airport and pulled her bags from the trunk, dawn was breaking through the haze of evening, and her tears had dried. She made her way through the airport, keeping silent as she went through TSA's pat down and preoccupying herself as she found her terminal, along with other early morning travelers. She bought a cup of coffee and a criossant at the cafe, and settled at a table in the corner, getting lost in her thoughts.

When her flight began to board, she calmly handed the stewardess her ticket and made her way down the terminal to the plane, conversations from the last twenty-four hours buzzing in her head.

_"If I decide to stay."_

_"You're thinking of leaving?"_

_"GD offered me my job back, but...uh... I haven't said yes."_

She struggled to contain her tears as she boarded the plane and found her seat, slipping into it. She stared out the window, attempting to count the stars that began to disappear as the plane continued filling. As the plane began to take off down the runway, she briefly, considered that _maybe_ she was making a mistake.

She was leaving behind everything she'd ever known, everyone she loved, for the unknown. Allison's words rang loud in her head as the plane finally took into the air. She watched the airport begin to shrink, saw the people down below become ants.

_"So, Jack tells me that you're planning on leaving town."_

_"Yeah, I'm considering it."_

_"Well, don't. If today has taught us anything, it's how much you're needed here. Not just by the town or even Carter. You ran into a burning building and saved my kids, Jo. _Don't go_... I saw the look on Zane's face when he thought he'd lost you. He needs you too."_

Dawn had just broken over the horizon, flooding the forests and towns with sunlight. People came out and picked up their papers, went out to jog, left early for work. As the plane flew over Eureka, Carter was stepping outside to grab the paper, Vincent was opening Cafe Diem, Zane was going for his early morning jog. All stopped at the sound of the plane flying overhead, and all turned to watch it pass. Allison came outside at the noise, confused.

She, meanwhile, cast one last glance out the window as she flew above the town that she'd called home since leaving the Army. The people she'd called family, the job she'd adored. It was all shrinking below her, becoming a distant memory as she got further and further away.

Down below, as the streets of Eureka came to life, no one knew- least of all those that mattered most- that their Head of Security was on the flight that had just soared overhead, leaving this life- and everyone in it- for a new one, half a countryside away.


	2. Chapter 2

**R****ifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: Yes, I've changed yet another story. But I really didn't like where this was going. **

******Thanks to purplepotatopig and YveofDawn for reviewing 1.**

"Has... anyone seen Jo?"

Allison looked up as Zane stopped in front of her. She shook her head.

"No. I... I haven't seen her today. She wasn't home when I woke up; I thought she came in to work early. You know how she likes to get as much done as she can before everyone else shows up. Why?"

The younger man sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "We... we were supposed to meet at Cafe Diem for breakfast, but she never showed. I thought that maybe she'd overslept or had gone out for a jog and lost track of time, and so I called her cell, but it went straight to voicemail. That's not like Jo, she always answers her phone."

Allison sighed and closed the medical records she was going over on her data pad. "Kevin asked me where Jo was this morning when he came down for breakfast. He said she was going to take him out to the pistol range after school and teach him how to shoot. I told him that I hadn't seen her."

"What about Carter?" Zane asked, glancing over Allison's shoulder for any sign of his girlfriend. He turned his attention back to her when Carter showed up.

"What about me?" The sheriff asked, joining the two in the middle of the rotundra. They looked at him, before Zane asked,

"Have you seen Jo? Allison and Kevin haven't seen her, and I called her this morning because we were supposed to meet for coffee, but it went straight to voicemail." Carter thought a moment.

"That... that's not like Jo."

"Tell me about it." Zane muttered.

"Well, what do we know about the situation?" Allison asked, looking from Zane to Carter and back.

"What situation?" Carter asked. "For all we know, she could just be... taking a day off. She's been under a lot of stress, she could just be... going for a drive or-"

"But that's _not like_ Jo." Zane interrupted. "She loves her job, and she wouldn't take a day off unless Fargo forced her to."

After a moment, Allison voiced the fear that was on everyone's mind.

"Maybe... maybe she left."

Both men turned startled eyes to her. It took a few seconds, but evenually, Zane shook his head.

"No. No, she wouldn't do that. She loves Eureka. She loves us. This is her home. And she... she wouldn't leave without saying goodbye..."

"Zane, she was talking about leaving-"

"Yeah, and we _talked her out of it_. She's too important to the town and the people. To us..."

"To you?" Allison asked. The younger man nodded. Gently, Carter laid a hand on the younger man's shoulder, giving it a squeeze.

"You love her, don't you?" He asked. Zane glanced at him before pulling away.

"Of course I love her-"

"Allison! Zane! Carter!" The three looked up as Henry and Grace followed a worried, frantic Fargo into the rotundra.

"Fargo, what is it? What's wrong?" Allison asked, as the director skidded to a stop in front of them.

"I got this in my inbox this morning. It's a list of candidates for Head of Security for GD. At first, I thought it was a joke, but-"

Allison took the pad from Fargo's hand and quickly read it. "They're... looking for someone to take over the post of... But that's not right. Jo's Head of Security. They're talking like... like they've..."

"Terminated her contract." Carter said. It was the first thing he'd said since the others had shown up.

"But that's not possible-" Henry started.

"There's one way we can tell for sure." Carter started. "Check her office." And with that, he rushed past them all, heading for the third floor, where Jo's office sat. The others followed quickly behind him, and when they reached the doorway, he grabbed the handle, only to find it locked. "Can't get it open."

"It's a retina scanner. It only opens for Jo." Grace said.

"And me." Everyone turned to Zane, who pushed through the small group. "I... may have messed with it so that, it opens for both mine and Jo's DNA." He said, stepping up to the machine.

"Good morning, Dr. Donovan." The door slid open, and Zane stepped inside. Quickly, the others crowded around him.

But instead of finding Jo sitting at her desk, going over paperwork or checking her e-mail, they found the office empty. Her desk sat void of anyone or anything, her photographs gone, her laptop missing. The cds she kept on the bookshelf near her cell- along with her books and various trinkets- were absent, and the wall holding her guns was vacant. A deep, shaky breath escaped Zane's throat as he moved into the room. He went to the desk and slowly opened the drawers, searching for anything that would tell him that this was a prank.

But all he found was empty drawers and vacant shelves. She'd taken everything, packed it up and shipped it off to wherever she was going to, without so much as a bye-your-leave. He pulled open the last drawer in her desk; something rolled to the front, and he picked it up.

It was his grandmother's engagement ring.

He'd slipped it on her finger the night before, telling her that when she was ready, he'd gladly be waiting for her.

But here it was, in her desk drawer, a last reminder that she was gone. His breath caught and his heart began to race as he sat down heavily in her chair, the ring dropping to the top of the desk. He buried his face in his hands as the others stepped into the office, looking around in shock. After a moment, Allison went to Zane and picked up the ring.

"You proposed?" She asked.

"I told her that when she was ready, I'll gladly be waiting for her." He said, not looking at the doctor. She nodded and looked around the room. Carter, having overheard the conversation, joined them, laying a hand on the younger man's shoulder. Zane didn't pull away this time. After a moment, he choked out,

"She's gone."


	3. Chapter 3

**R****ifiuto: Non Miriena**

"She can't be gone. It can't be true." Allison muttered later that afternoon as they sat at their usual table in Cafe Diem. Fargo had given everyone the rest of the day off, after making the announcement that their Head of Security had vanished. Now, the small group of six sat discussing their options as they nursed coffee and tea.

"We can try to find her." Grace put in, sipping her tea.

"We don't even know where she's going. Or when she left. She could be... half a country away by now. We'd never get her back." Allison said. Zane said nothing. Instead, he stared at the chair Jo would occupy on their after-work-late-night dinner "parties."

She was always the first to get there and the last to leave, bringing a book or her ipod to keep her occupied until everyone else arrived. She talked weapons with Henry and politics with Carter, films with Grace and Allison, and science with Fargo. She never talked with Zane during dinner; they saved their chats for later on, after they got home. Curled up on the sofa with a movie playing, they talked about everything and nothing. At dinner, she spent more time with her hand in his, her lips on his, or his arm around her waist or shoulders. Often, they got teased and picked on for canoodling in public, but everyone enjoyed it. To see Jo happy, was a rare occurence for the group; and to see Zane _making_ her happy... it was a treat for the group when the two lovebirds got together with the rest.

They accepted the happy couple, delighted in seeing the smile that lit Jo's face whenever she was with Zane, and all dreaded not seeing that smile ever again. And instantly, their concern all turned to Zane. The young phsycist had seen a lot in his life; he'd watched so many people walk out on him for one reason or another, and the thought of the woman he loved leaving him- like his father, like his uncles, like so many before her- put the others all on high alert.

He wouldn't take this well, they knew. If anything, he'd pull more into himself than Jo did when she was hurt. But where Jo eventually let it out on the firing range, or in an arguement, Zane let it fester and smoulder, eating him from the inside out, until he imploded. Allison watched from her place across from him, noticing that he was already starting to pull away. After a moment, she reached out and took his hand.

"It'll be okay, Zane. We'll get her back." The younger man looked up at her, nodding.

"It's not like Jo to run off." Carter said, glancing around at the rest of the group. Patrons glanced at the group as they passed; news of the Head of Security disappearing had quickly spread through town, and all of Eureka's residents began to worry and ask unanswerable questions about Jo. The six kept to themselves; their number seemed incomplete without the scrappy, petite raven-head to complete their little circle.

"She's been under a lot of stress. People do strange things when they feel like they're being cornered." Henry said. Zane kept quiet, and instead pulled out his pad. He fiddled with it for several minutes, before pulling up his e-mail. Quickly, he typed a short message, leaving the fields blank, before sending it.

"Zane, what are you doing?"

He looked up, to see the others watching him. He shrugged.

"Just... checking my e-mail."

"Zane." Carter pressed. The younger man sighed.

"I... I sent her an e-mail. Just.. just to see if we get a response."

Henry reached out and laid a hand on his shoulder. "We can only hope."


	4. Chapter 4

**R****ifiuto: Non Miriena**

She yawned as she made her way down the terminal and into JFK Airport. It was the most ridiculous thing in the world- a two hour layover in NYC before she could catch her flight for Maine. From there, she would catch a cab for a hour long ride into the Maine countryside, past Bar Harbor, and into Haven, and from there, find her hotel. She'd move into her new place the next day, after a good night's sleep.

As she headed to the cafe for a cup of hot coffee and a bagel, she stopped, glancing over her shoulder. The scary feeling the someone was watching her- no, following her- began to pick at her brain, and she searched for several minutes, before continuing on.

She slammed into someone not long after.

"I'm so sorry-"

"It's okay, Jojo." Her head snapped up, and she found herself staring into Zane's blue eyes. He smirked at her. What did he do, follow her? But no, she'd left before _dawn_. _No one_ was up before dawn, not even Zane. Quickly, she shook her head, and he vanished, replaced with an elderly man holding a cane. "Are you all right, Ms?" She took a deep breath, nodding.

"Yes, I... I'm fine, just... just exhausted from my flight. I'm sorry I ran into you." And she rushed past him, glancing behind to make sure what she'd seen before was just a hallucination.

Once she made it to the cafe, she settled in a seat and took several deep breaths, telling herself that it was just jetlag. That once she made it to Haven, she'd be fine. That hallucinating Zane hadn't been her mind screaming that she'd done the wrong thing.

She found her terminal and settled down to wait, pulling out her laptop. After checking her e-mail, she stuck her headphones into her ears and hit Play on the screen. Fleetwood Mac began to flood her mind, lulling her gently into a relaxed state as she fiddled around, deleting old e-mails and sorting new ones.

_"If I could turn the page, in time then I'd rearrange just a day or two..."_

She took a deep breath, emptying her Trash folder before returning to her inbox.

_"But I couldn't find a way so I'll settle for one day to believe in you..."_ She deleted old e-mails from years earlier, junk mail and turned the volume up on her music. On autopilot, she reached out and took a sip of her latte, letting the e-mails run in front of her eyes as she momentarily zoned out.

_"Tell me sweet little lies (Tell me lies, tell me, tell me lies) Oh, no, no you can't disguise (You can't disguise, no you can't disguise) Tell me lies, Tell me sweet little lies"_

She swallowed as she opened an e-mail from GD. Her eyes quickly scanned it as tears began to well in her eyes.

_'Dear Ms. Lupo,_

_Due to the recent lack of response from you in regards to your job as Head of Security for Global Dynamics, we have come to the conclusion that you no longer want to retain your post. It is with great regret that we have decided to terminate your contract with Global Dynamics. You shall recieve your last week's pay in the next couple days._

_Sincerely,_

_Department of Defense_

_and Global Dynamics'_

So that was it.

She no longer worked for Global Dynamics.

She was no longer the Head of Security.

She had no ties to Eureka.

Not anymore.

She filed it away in a folder and returned to the rest of her unopened mail. The feeling of somone looking her way made her look up, and she watched as... _Allison?_ walked by. She glanced back at Jo, never breaking her gaze, before she disappeared down the hall. It took her a minute to shake off the feeling that she'd just seen the good Dr. Blake in the airport, and shaking her head, she returned to the list of unopened messages.

_"Although I'm not making plans, I hope that you understand there's a reason why. Close your, close your, close your eyes. No more broken hearts. We're better off apart, let's give it a try..."_

She shuddered. First, she thought she'd seen Zane, and now, Allison.

Who was next? Carter?

Her flight eventually came in, and she quickly shut off her laptop and put it away, climbing to her feet. As she joined the other passengers waiting to board, she told herself that it was just exhaustion, just stress from making a hasty retreat from the town that had caused her so much pain...

As she reached the steward and handed over her ticket, the man tore of the end he needed and handed it back to her with a, "You can't go, Jo. Eureka wouldn't be the same without you. We wouldn't be the same without you."

She stared at him, her mouth hanging open as she stared at Carter. He gave her a sad smile, and after being pushed gently by the passenger behind her, she rushed past him and hurried down the terminal. Once she found her seat, she settled down and waited as the plane got ready to take off. Once it had left the runway, and the passengers were allowed to use their electronics, she pulled out her laptop and clicked on her inbox.

A new message popped up in her inbox; the subject line was blank, the address unfamiliar.

Curious, and slightly confused, she clicked on it, hoping against hope that she hadn't just introduced malware into her laptop. But what she found made her heart stop. At the top of the document, were only three words, in capital letters.

WHERE ARE YOU?


	5. Chapter 5

**R****ifiuto: Non Miriena**

She took a deep breath, shutting her laptop quickly and turning her gaze to the window. It couldn't be possible.

It couldn't be.

How... how had they found her?

After a moment, she opened her laptop again and hit_ Delete_. The e-mail vanished, and instantly, she relaxed. Then, she went into her Contacts list and quickly deleted Zane, Allison, Henry, Grace, Carter and Fargo from her list. The less contact she had with them, the better.

Twenty minutes later, she shut her laptop and put her ipod on. In a matter of minutes, her exhaustion caught up with her, and she drifted off to sleep.

Ten hours later, she walked through the Maine Airport, headed for the baggage claim, only half-awake. She forced herself awake and watched intently for her bags, snatching them off the carousel as they reached her. Then, she headed out to where the cab was supposed to meet her.

It was waiting for her; the cabbie leapt from the car and helped her load her bags before holding the door open for her. Once the door was closed, she sank back against the seat and closed her eyes.

"Long flight?" Her eyes snapped open at the heavy, thick New England drawl that greeted her from the front of the car. The man met her eyes in the mirror, and after a moment, she nodded.

"Yes."

"Where you from?"

"Oregon." She replied.

"Just down here to visit, or to live?" He asked.

"Live."

"New job?" She shook her head.

"Got sick of the old one. I left town. Didn't belong there anymore. Never did."

The man was silent as they drove through the city, and she glanced out the window, watching the cars pass by, the people walking down the street, the glow of shops and bars. Eventually, they left the city for the country, going past Bar Harbor, and entering into Haven, pulling up to the small inn, and he helped her remove her things from the trunk.

She held out the cash for the ride, but he waved it away. "Don't worry about it. First ride's free. And welcome to Maine." She gave him a tired smile.

"Thank you." He nodded to her before leaving. She checked in and collapsed on the bed as soon as she reached her room. Tomorrow, she would move into her new place, start her new job, begin her new life, and hopefully, leave the old one behind.

She awoke at seven the next morning, and for a moment, had to struggle to remember where she was. But once everything came clicking back into place, she climbed out of bed and got dressed. After running the brush through her hair and pulling it back in a ponytail, she checked out of her room and waited for the cab that was going to come pick her up to take her to her new place.

The cab drove through downtown Haven, and she leaned forward, taking in the sights and sounds of her new home. Laughter and conversation floated through the open window, and eventually, the cab stopped in front of an old, historic Victorian home. As she stepped out of the cab, her mouth dropped. Her eyes drank in the stone stepped walkway leading up to the front door, the bay windows and small wraparound porch.

"You must be Miss Lupo!"

She reluctantly tore her gaze away to see a young African American woman hurry down the steps leading to the small porch and make her way towards her.

"Yes. Jo."

"Nice to meet you, Jo. I'm Sam." The two quickly shook hands before Jo turned back to the house. "Welcome home. Do you want to see the inside?" She nodded.

They quickly removed teh bags from the trunk of the car and hurried inside. The boxes she'd packed up had been shipped down a week earlier, and as Jo set her bags down, she felt a silent thrill rush through her. Sam watched her wander through the house, drinking in the sights before she came back.

"Where do I sign?"

Once the papers were signed and the keys were handed over, Jo spent her time wandering through her new home, occasionally removing things from boxes and setting them up. When she finally decided to leave to go in search of furniture, she decided that she should also get acquainted with the various shops and restaurants.

Though there was no Cafe Diem, no GD, no Tesla School, which felt weird, she was able to find her way around the small coastal town easily. She also found that she wasn't surrounded by geniuses, which felt nice for once. After she'd spent half her day wandering around, she slipped into a small cafe for a cup of coffee. Taking a seat at the counter, she scanned the menu, before glancing up.

"What can I get you?"

"Just a... cup of coffee." She told the waiter. He poured her coffee and set it in front of her.

"New in town?" She nodded. "Military?" Another nod.

"Former Army... and current, until I can get up the courage to reinlist. And... former Air Force- Special Forces."

She had considered returning to the Army. But since there was no base up here, she decided to look into a job on the local police force. Make her feel important again, back among her own kind. As she sipped her coffee, she found herself relax, and even began to open up to the staff of the small cafe. As the waiter refilled her cup, he leaned close, asking,

"I hope you don't take offense, but... you wouldn't happen to be Arcadian-Creole, would you?"

She thought a moment before shaking her head. "No. Why?"

"Because you look it."

She tilted her head, letting the words sink in. "Huh." Once she finished the coffee, she slipped the tip onto the table and nodded to him as she left. Maybe being here would be worth it. If she could create a whole new identity for herself, maybe she could- finally- forget her past.


	6. Chapter 6

**R****ifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to Guest for reviewing 2, 3 and 4.**

"Zane."

The younger man didn't look up. Instead, he focused even more on tracking down his girlfriend. He was determined to find her.

Even if it killed him in the process.

Suddenly, rough hands yanked on his shoulders and pulled him away from his computer.

"Come on, Zane, let's go for a walk." Carter's reassuring voice broke briefly through his fog. He didn't know where they were going, until the door to Fargo's office slid shut behind them and Carter shoved him towards the sofa. He looked around at the others, before getting up.

"I have to get back to work." He said, going to the door, but Carter and Henry blocked his way.

"Not right now, Zane. Right now you need to take a break." Henry said. The young psychist shook his head.

"No. I have to find her. I_ have_ to bring her home."

"And we will, Zane. But right now, you need to calm down. You need to stop and take a breath, you've been at this for days." Allison said, leading him back to the sofa and sitting next to him.

Jo's disappearance had worn heavily on everyone, but none had taken it harder than Zane. Since she vanished over a week ago, he'd tried everything he could to track her down, with no luck. Short of asking the DoD for her wearabouts, that is.

So far, he was no closer to finding Jo, than he'd been a week ago. She'd left nothing behind, hadn't handed in a resignation slip, had said nothing to anyone. If anything, she'd slipped out of town in the middle of the night and caught a late night flight to... where ever she was headed.

"The only thing I can think of is... if she left... later that night." Zane said, running a hand through his hair.

"Or in the morning." Carter said, turning to the younger man.

"What do you mean, Jack?" Henry asked. Carter turned to the others.

"When I stepped outside to get the paper that morning, a plane was-"

"Flying overhead. I know, I saw it when I went out for my jog." Zane finished.

"Why is that odd?" Grace asked, going to Carter.

"Because we never get planes overhead." He replied. Zane looked up at him.

"So you think that maybe..." Allison started.

"Jo was on that plane." Zane said, getting up and rushing to the door.

"Zane! Where are you going?" Grace demanded as he rushed out the door.

"I have to pull the passenger list for that plane!"


	7. Chapter 7

**R****ifiuto: Non Miriena**

Six weeks had passed since she'd arrived in Haven and settled into her new life. After a tense interview with Chief Wournos, she'd been given a position on the Haven PD, working alongside himself and one Audrey Parker, former FBI.

Safe to say, the two women didn't get along after they'd first met, and weren't getting along now.

By the time work was done for the day, she was exhausted- but the good kind. Not the kind brought on by constant worry of threat to the town, or of the rocky relationship that had plagued her nightmares. Toeing off her boots, she collapsed on the sofa in her living room and stared at the TV screen, before getting up and heading upstairs. She took a quick shower and changed into something clean, before grabbing her clutch and leaving the house. As the sun began to go down and the nightlife became to take hold, Jo walked the two mile distance from her house to the Grey Gull, enjoying the humid New England air that wrapped around her.

Once she made it inside, she took a seat at the bar and ordered a drink.

"Didn't expect to find you here, Lupo." She looked up as the bartender set her drink in front of her, and started at the sight of Chief Wournos two stools down. She remembered Nathan Wournos when she was a kid; her dad had served with his, and they'd spent summers in Haven- an escape from the boredom of the base. Nathan had been one of her friends. That she was now working for him, was strange, to say the least.

"And you, Chief." She said, raising her glass. After a moment, he got up and joined her.

"So, what brings you to Haven, Jo? The last time I heard about you, you were Head of Security at GD in Eureka." She nodded, not surprised that Nathan knew .

"Yeah, I... I left. I couldn't do it anymore. I didn't belong. I never did." She said, sipping her drink.

"Never would have pegged you for having self-esteem issues, Jo." He replied. She chuckled softly and smiled at him.

"Everyone has secrets, Nathan." She said, taking another sip of her drink.

"Yet you feel you belong here?"

"I've always belonged in the Army. Grew up in it. My father, brothers... it's the only place I truly feel at home. Spending my childhood here? This is as close to home as I get." She leaned close, until their faces were inches apart. "Haven't you ever felt that way, Nate?" She asked, leaning closer. Eventually, they closed the gap and shared a sweet kiss- the first of many.

For a moment, an image of Zane flashed into her mind, but she forced it away, deepening the kiss. She had known Nathan since childhood, harbored a crush on him since high school, but had never pursued it. Especially after she'd moved to Eureka and become involved with...

No. She wasn't in Eureka anymore, and she wasn't involved with him. She had every right to pursue this, and she was going to take it. After all, she was a new person, with a new life, far away from that psychotic town and its lunatic residents. And she was never going back, not if she could help it.

When they finally broke the kiss, she bit her bottom lip. "I'm sorry, Nate. I... I don't know what came over me..." But before she could continue, he caught her lips in another kiss.

They left the bar together not long after, going back to her place. As they moved through the living room and upstairs, she considered that maybe- just this once- that what she was doing was wrong, and that she should get into contact with everyone back in Eureka.

But as they stumbled into her room and crashed into the blankets, she shook the thought away, letting her body take over. She told herself over and over that none of that mattered, that Eureka was millions of miles away, and that what she was doing was helping her to move on with her new life.

But if Zane found out...

It didn't matter anymore.

Zane was her past.

Eureka was her past.

Haven was her present, and her future.

As she lay in Nathan's arms later, she found herself- for the first time in weeks- actually happy.

"What are you thinking about, Jo?" He asked, looking down at her. She sighed, tracing circles on his chest.

"I'm happy. I've never been so happy to be away from Eureka in my entire life. I never thought that would happen."

He chuckled softly. "Our priorities change as we get older, Jo. We begin to realize that, what we thought we wanted, isn't really what we wanted at all."

She nodded against his chest, cuddling closer, if it was at all possible. His words ran circles in her head, and she realized that he was right.

Zane, Carter, GD, Eureka...

She had thought that she'd wanted that, but now that she was away from it, she realized, that it wasn't what she wanted at all.


	8. Chapter 8

**R****ifiuto: Non Miriena**

"I think I found it!"

Everyone in Cafe Diem looked up; Zane rushed into the cafe, his hair a mess, exhausted, clutching his data pad.

"Found what?" Carter asked, going to the younger man. He quickly urged the psychist to their table and forced him into a chair.

"I found it. I found her. I found Jo." He said, looking around at everyone."

"Slow down, Zane." Allison said, laying a hand on his arm. "Start at the beginning."

But instead of speaking, he set the pad down and slid it towards them. They all gathered around to read it.

"What is it?" Carter asked.

"It's Jo's location." Zane said, as Vincent set a cup of coffee in front of the younger man.

"Which is...?" Fargo asked, scanning the information.

"New England." Zane said, choking down his coffee. "Haven, Maine to be specific."

The small group looked up at Zane, not quite believing their ears.

"How did you-" Henry started, but Zane cut him off.

"I was able to get ahold of a copy of the passenger itinerary from that flight. She was on it. Had a layover in New York, before catching a plane for Maine. After that, I managed to hack into her bank account- don't glare at me, if you were in my shoes, you'd all do the same thing- and she'd put down a deposit on house in this small coastal seaside village. I have coordinates, I can get everything we need to go get her." Zane said, looking in turn at each member of the group.

"Zane-" But Allison quickly shut up, realizing that that's exactly what she wanted to do.

Bring Jo home.

Silence met the young man, before Jack nodded, saying,

"When do we leave?"

"Wait! We can't all go! Some people need to be here to make sure the town doesn't blow up or... or go through some major crisis." Grace said, putting a damper on everyone's excited moods. They all looked at each other.

"I'll stay. I have no choice anyway." Fargo said. Henry nodded, as did Grace. Allison and Carter shared worried looks, before turning to Zane.

"Zane-" The younger man nodded.

"I know. You both have obligations-" He stood, picking up the data pad, but Carter stopped him.

"Go. If anyone can get her to come home, it's you, Zane." Carter gave him a quick hug, before Allison did.

Four hours later, Zane was catching a flight to Maine, determined to bring the woman he loved home. Once he reached the famous coastal city- made so for the Colorado Kid murder- he wasted no time in finding her house. He stood outside, trying to sum up the courage to ring the doorbell.

"She's not home."

He turned, seeing a neighbor standing on his porch.

"Excuse me?" The man leaned over the balcony, staring at Zane.

"The Chief and Ms. Lupo aren't there."

"What do you mean 'the Chief and Ms. Lupo'?" Zane asked slowly.

"Chief Wurnos and Ms. Lupo. They aren't home, out on investigation."

"I got that the first time. But... I don't-"

"She's been seeing the Chief for the past few months. I think he's planning on proposing soon. Maybe once the Troubles end."

"Troubles?" Zane asked, his blood freezing at the word 'propose.'

"Are you from around here? If not, stop by the Haven Herald."


	9. Chapter 9

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

She was crazy, for going back to the warzones that had forced her out of the Army in the first place. But she had no choice, she'd willingly volunteered to go, feeling it was her duty to serve. Her brothers were, her father had, and her grandfather. Her grandmother had become a WASP in the second war, becoming one of the first women to earn her pilot's license and help in the war. The military was in her blood.

As she stood waiting with Major Shaw, she found herself thinking back on the injury that had nearly destroyed her, on all the things she'd wanted to say to those she loved, in case she never returned. After a moment, she turned to Shaw.

"Major, I..." She bit her lip. He glanced around, before gesturing to a spot a few feet away from the other soldiers patroling the base that they were stationed at. Being back in the Middle East brought back painful memories, but they also helped to reinforce that she'd made the right choice. Once they were alone, she said, "I... I'm sorry, I.."

"It's okay, Josie. I understand." He pulled a small gold band from his pocket and pressed it into her hand. "I was going to give this to you after we returned, but... in case we don't-"

She grabbed the front of his shirt and kissed him deeply. They'd been in the Middle East for six months, and both had seen horrors that would haunt them for the rest of their lives. If they didn't make it out alive...

The kiss was cut short by the sound of gunfire, followed by an explosion. Chaos ensued, and the lovers were ripped apart, and she was thrown backwards. Ignoring the pain in her side, she climbed to her feet an rushed through the smoke and gunfire, her military training kicking in. Once the smoke cleared and the enemy obliterated, she hurried around, taking a mental count of the dead and wounded, counting herself among them.

"Shaw? Where's Shaw?" She cried, looking around frantically. Movement caught the corner of her eye and she rushed to the man, kneeling on her knees as she realized who it was. "William-"

She furiously blinked back her tears, as she attempted CPR, but it was no use. She stopped when she heard the click of a gun, and looked up. Soldiers- enemy combatants- stood before the survivors of the military compound, took aim and began to fire.

"Move, move! Now!" Her fight or flight sense kicked in, as she ordered the others in her regiment to safety. She grabbed a passing collegue as she passed, urging the injured man on. The last thing she remembered, was seeing the diamond of the engagement ring Shaw had given her disappear into her flesh as she held it tight in her fist.

If she had to give her own life for her men, she'd do it, gladly.

And then her world went black.


	10. Chapter 10

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: From here on out, is the Z/J. I just had to get everything else out of the way first. **

Zane turned his gaze from the TV. SARAH had placed it on the news, but no one seemed to be paying attention. After Zane had returned from New Orleans, and told everyone the news of her shipping out, their small group had collapsed in on itself. They gathered at SARAH, sipping coffee and sitting in silence, thinking of what they could have done differently.

"... an ambush by the Iraqi army... but due to the courage of Sergeant Josefina Lupo and her team, they were able to stop..."

Zane sat up, moving to the edge of the sofa. Everyone else also perked up at the mention of their former Head of Security.

"... Sergeant Lupo is to be awarded the purple heart for her bravery..."

Slowly, he turned to the others. "We have to bring her home now."

While the group in Eureka was planning on how to bring their Jo home, she herself was waking up from a complex, eighteen hour surgery. Having been flown out with the rest of her team, Jo had suffered the worse of the assualt.

Four broken ribs, two fractured collarbones, three snapped muscles in her legs, a broken ankle, six bullet wounds- one to her head- as well as burns on her hands and arms from acid that had been thrown. She didn't remember the details, only that she'd removed her coat to help stop a massive bleeding wound on one of her fellow soldiers.

She now lay in a bed in one of the best hospitals in D.C, recovering from her injuries. She'd learned not long after arriving in D.C. that Shaw had been killed, and the medical staff had had to cut the diamond from the palm of her hand. The news flicked before her, mentions of her bravery, of the assualt and the deadly attack flashed before her eyes, but she heard none of it.

It would take months for her to recover. The doctors talked about pyshical therapy, therapy to help her walk again; an honorable discharge from the Army. She soon realized, that her life had gone from crap to hell in a matter of a few short months.

Eight months later, Jo found herself stepping out to get the paper, only to come face to face with someone from her past- someone she never wanted to see again. It had taken three months for her to be able to stand with help, two months to walk with help, and now- due to the extent of her injuries- she was forced to use a cane. The skin of her arms was riddled with scars- reminders of the numerous surgeries attempted to remove the ugliness of the acid. She'd cut her hair- more due to the surgery to remove the bullet from her skull than fashion, and refused to wear anything that revealed the damage done to her body.

Having been honorably discharged from the Army, she was now working as a history teacher at the Academy. She'd sacrificed so much to erase the memory of the town she'd left behind, but now, as she looked up, she saw perhaps the most painful memory staring her in the face.

Zane.

Her breath caught, as he moved towards her.

"Finally. I finally found you." He said, tears in his eyes as he took in her appearance. The first thing his eyes went to was the cane. She struggled to speak, before finally choking out,

"How... how did you..."

"It took a while. You did quite well at covering your tracks, Jojo." He said, giving her his trademark smile. "Can I come in?"

It took a moment for her to respond, but eventually she did, turning and going inside, as Zane followed. Once the door closed behind him, he was finally able to watch her close. She walked with a limp, the cane was new. Her hair was shorter- chin length, it framed her face in a very pretty way. She was thinner, seemed almost weary.

"Coffee?" She asked, as he followed her into the kitchen.

"Sure." He replied, setting his things down. He watched her move about the kitchen; noticed how she leaned the cane against the counter and worked. He also noticed the slight Southern drawl that coated her words, at some point during her disappearance, she'd become a Southern belle...

"How did you find me, Zane?" She asked, setting two cups on the table and taking a seat across from him.

"Why did you run?" He countered. She glared at him, and he saw the old Lupo he loved so much.

"Tell me, how did you find me?" He thought a moment.

"Not until you tell me why you ran. We asked you to stay, told you not to go, and you did. You left us all without a word. Worried us to death, Jojo." He said, as she got up and began fidgeting around the kitchen.

"I needed to go." She replied, not looking at him.

"Why? So you could nearly lose your life in Iraq?" He asked.

"No... because..."

"Because why, Jo? Tell me!"

"Because I never belonged there!" She cried, turning to him. The shock of the man she once loved standing in her kitchen was too much, and she lost it, bursting into tears as she slid to the floor. Slowly, Zane joined her. After everything she'd gone through in the last few months, it wasn't a surprise to her that she'd finally snapped. With everything boiling under the surface, it was bound to happen soon. It just too Zane showing up on her doorstep to bring everything up.

After all these months, she was finally cracking.


End file.
